players. And it's the right approach for the offseason, too - expecting guys to stay in shape and in tune even if a lockout prohibits them from practicing together for a period of time.
Said Stephen McGee, forced into emergency quarterback duty for the season's final six quarters: "I remember after practice one day he said, 'This is a league of opportunity. You don't know when it's going to come.'
"We had a bunch of guys get hurt that week and he was like, 'We're going to have some young guys playing.' That's when it really hit. You never do know in this league."
Much has changed since Jones' last head coaching search. Four years later, the Cowboys are 6-10 and the core from 2006 doesn't have the same window of opportunity. Jones knows he has to get this one right, too. Can Garrett get the most out of the Cowboys beyond only an eight-game stretch in which players unequivocally were playing for their own future? Jones has had to decide that.
Garrett didn't know he'd be taking over the team in such dire circumstances. But he was ready for his own opportunity, and he delivered.
He's already had his interview.
